From the Flames
by Aerophin
Summary: A strike of a match, and everything crumbles. Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, and what's left when Ino-Shika-Chou doesn't stand the test of time. — ShikamaruIno. Complete.
1. Born of Fire

**Author Note:** First Naruto fanfiction. Be gentle.

* * *

They had to stop soon, Shikamaru knew. The fading light made their flight through the trees treacherous, and even if the others could see in the shadows as well as he did, they were fatigued and half-starved. The mission had taken longer than expected, and rations had run out the day past. They were still three days away from Konoha.

"Ne, Shikamaru, when are we going to make camp?" whined Chouji at the back. He swiped at his eyes and shook his head to clear his vision.

The shadow-nin turned his head slightly in his friend's direction. He let out a low sigh, and merely replied, "Soon."

"This mission took so long. Ah, I can't wait to get home and visit the bathhouse!"

Shikamaru didn't answer.

"Hey, Shika, have you seen, Ino lately? I couldn't find her before we left. I don't think she's on a mission, so I wonder what she's been up to lately." A ghost of a smile sat on Chouji's lips when Shikamaru turned to face his friend.

Furrowing his brows, he said tiredly, "Chouji…"

"You know, we should go out for some barbeque! It's been a while since we've all been together."

Chouji dodged a low-hanging branch to alight beside Shikamaru. With a gentle smile, he said, "How about it?"

Shikamaru leaped onto the next tree branch and closed his eyes mid-flight, confident he'd land where he intended. "Not now, Chouji."

Up ahead, his teammates turned their heads and gave him a questioning look. Shikamaru nodded in acknowledgement and ordered them to stop for the night. As they flittered to the ground, he veered off to the side where a small grove stood shrouded in flickering shadows.

Isamu landed on the forest floor with a thump and sprawled out, panting lightly. Kenchiro landed with more grace and immediately went about setting up camp. He threw Isamu a chiding look, which the younger shinobi returned with a sheepish smile. He stood and began to help unpack their bags.

"Hey, should we go check on the captain?" Isamu asked hesitantly.

Silently they both looked in the direction that Shikamaru had wondered off to. Kenchiro shook his head, brown hair flopping about as he unpacked the game they had hunted earlier.

"No," he said. "Everyone has their demons to deal with. Let him tend to his."

Throwing one last look over his shoulder, Isamu grabbed nearby wood to start a fire. A kind boy by nature, he was worried for his superior, knowing that Shikamaru had seemed particularly distracted on this mission. It was simple enough, an information-gathering assignment that required them to infiltrate a local lord's mansion when he was supposedly absent on vacation. However, the lord hadn't left on the day predicted, opting to stay a few more days to see to unfinished business, so they had waited two extra days for the lord to leave, all the while their supplies dwindling. Nothing trained Konoha shinobi couldn't handle, but the captain had chosen to delegate tasks rather than tackle them himself, his unease evident by his usually-steady shadow flickering at the slightest disconcertment.

A ways from camp, the shadow-nin wearily slid down the trunk of a tree, letting his head fall back onto the rough bark. Chouji followed suit at his right, the moonlight casting his figure in an ethereal glow. Shikamaru tugged at his leather gloves, frayed with overuse and in desperate need of replacement. He sighed, and turned his gaze toward the sky, darkening with the oncoming night, stars twinkling in the heavens.

"Chouji," Shikamaru began. "Why'd you come with me on this mission?"

At the question, the bigger shinobi answered softly, his spectral voice paper-thin, "You've been distressed lately."

"I have not," Shikamaru protested weakly.

"You have, I can tell. Who else is going to watch your back on missions?" Chouji asked.

"I'm fine on my own, Chouji. I know you're just worried, but you don't need to be here. You shouldn't be here." The Nara sighed, and Chouji could give nothing but a sad, haunted smile. "Besides, there's Isamu and Kenchiro."

"They don't know you like I do. I'm your best friend! Ino-Shika-Chou, remember?" Chouji flicked his ear, the gift from Asuma-sensei giving off a phantasmal radiance in the moonlight.

Standing to his feet, Shikarmaru was about to answer when a scream pierced the lull of night. Cursing himself for leaving his team, he ran toward the direction of camp, pulling out a kunai from his pack. He slipped from shadow to shadow, glad of the low moonlight, and kept hidden as he approached the open expanse of forest where his team had set camp.

At the edge of the opening, he pressed his back to a tree, scanning the area. The scream had clearly been Isamu, who lay on the grassy earth, blood beginning to pool around him from an open wound on his chest. Standing over him was an enemy shinobi, eyes as black as the midnight sky, a grisly smirk adorning his face. His white hair fell in stringy rivulets down his face, and he was clothed in dirt-smeared garments that needed mending. Isamu attempted to stand, but a foot from the enemy shinobi ground into his back, forcing him back to the forest floor.

Shikamaru cursed again. Kenchiro was busy fending off three other ninja, his tanto flashing fiercely as he deflected their attacks. Three against four wasn't out of their skill range, but given that they were exhausted from travel and lack of rations made the situation dire. The white-haired shinobi standing atop Isamu seemed content to stand back and watch the others take down Kenchiro, so Shikamaru figured he was the leader.

Shikamaru couldn't use his shadow skills in all the dark. There were far too many shadows cast by the expansive forest, and attempting to capture an enemy when his shadow was connected to the rest of the forest's would result in him controlling miles and miles of shadow, which was completely out of his chakra range. Thinking quickly, he jumped behind a ninja who strayed too close to his hiding spot and slit his throat easily.

The white-haired shinobi seemed unaffected by the death of his minion, and when it appeared that Shikamaru and Kenchiro would quickly dispose of the last two ninja, he merely grinned and ground his foot harder into Isamu's back.

Things were going too easy, Shikamaru knew. The three ninjas now dead at their feet were hardly chuunin level. The leader shinobi continued to smile, and Shikamaru realized something was wrong. The white-haired ninja kicked Isamu out from under him, and raised his right hand to admire it in the moonlight. Panting, Shikamaru narrowed his eyes and prepared himself for an attack. What he didn't expect was for the ninja's raised hand to seemingly grow, skin and muscles pulling away and stretching and remolding itself into a longer limb. It was grotesque how the newly grown skin rippled and expanded to an additional five feet, the end of the limb not reforming into a hand, but congregating into a sharp point.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Kenchiro.

Shikamaru, still shuddering at the sight of the deformed limb, barely registered the sudden approach of the shinobi, his arm swinging out and pointed directly at Kenchiro's chest. He was too swift for Kenchiro to react, but Shikamaru quickly shoved his teammate out of the way, cursing when a shot of pain burst in his side. He fell to the ground, too stunned to pick himself up. Feeling blood running through his fingers as he gingerly touched his injured side, he turned his head to see Kenchiro dodge another swipe of the enemy's arm. He tried to stand, but it felt as if he were tethered to the ground, his shadow pulling at his physical form to retreat into the safety of the dark. He dropped back onto the ground, propped up by an elbow. His other hand clutched at the throbbing hole in his side, blood spilling freely between his fingers.

As his vision began to fade, he spotted Chouji at the edge of the clearing, that small, haunted smile still dancing on his face. The Akimichi gave Shikamaru a sympathetic look, turned, and melted into the darkness of the forest.

"Chouji…" Shikamaru coughed out before falling unconscious.

* * *

It felt as if he dreamed for an eternity. Flashes of his childhood filtered through his mind, harshly reminding him of earlier times. He forced them away, preferring to peruse his more recent memories, such as his jounin initiation or his year-long ambassadorship to Suna. It was less satisfying, but thankfully less depressing. When he resurfaced into consciousness, a vague memory of campfires with Team 10 on missions escaped his grasp before he attempted to open his eyes.

The sounds of a crackling fire reached Shikamaru's ears before his eyes registered what he was seeing. The dark of night swam before his vision, stars faintly dotting the black sky. His head throbbed slightly, his thoughts fragmented as he tried to gather his wits. His hand fell to his side where he expected to find a grievous wound festering, but to his surprise, his fingers fell on clean, blood-free cloth. Underneath, where a gaping hole should have been, was only smooth skin. It was still tender to the touch, and would take a few weeks to heal, but the wound was closed. Also concerning was the fact that his flak jacket was missing, his usual attire replaced with a simple, black shirt.

Mustering remnants of his strength, he sat up from his makeshift bed on the forest floor. Not far from his bed was the small fire he heard as he woke, small flames rising to cast tendrils of shadows over a person kneeling near the fire.

"Finally awake, eh?" came a gruff voice.

Shikamaru froze. He was sure he was silent when he moved, and yet this stranger had sensed his awakening. A shinobi then, and a medical-nin at that.

The stranger stood, and walked over to a backpack situated not far from the fire. Pulling out a small pack, he stood and made his way over to the shadow-nin. Shikamaru tensed, unsure of the stranger's intentions, but when the other man held out a small bag of rations, he took it without hesitation. The shinobi stalked back to the fire and sat, his back to Shikamaru.

A thought came to Shikamaru and he blurted, "My teammates, Kenchiro and Isamu—"

"They're dead," came the stranger's voice without preamble. He didn't even bother looking back. "I've already buried them. It's a miracle you survived. Be glad I came when I did, Leaf ninja."

Shikamaru bristled. "How long was I out?"

"Only a day."

He glanced at the ration pack in his hands. Did he trust this man enough to take his food? He raked his eyes over to the stranger, taking in the image of short, light blonde hair caught in a tight ponytail at the base of his neck. "Who the hell was that freak?" he inquired.

The man finally half-turned his head, long bangs covering the right side of his face casting more shadows over his visage. "Hiiruke. I've been tracking him for some time. Dangerous and malicious man. Kills for the fun of it. Takes over a village and demands payment for what he calls protection."

The Nara narrowed his eyes, eyeing the stranger's backpack. A long sheet of fabric was tied around the pack, a symbol of a circle with vertical lines weaving through it was stitched onto the cloth. "What hidden village are you from?"

The shinobi turned away from him. "None."

"Never knew a missing-nin to have mercy on a stranger."

"I'm not a missing-nin. There are other reasons a shinobi severs ties with their village."

"So why are you following Hiiruke?"

The man turned back to the fire. "I…have my reasons."

Shikamaru opened the rations and began to pick at the food. "Does it have anything to do with why you left Konohagakure?"

The man stiffened, then slowly turned around, a smirk accompanied by half-lidded blue eyes that danced humorlessly adorning his face. "Nothing gets past you, ne, Shikamaru?"

"Not when it comes to you, Ino."

The man—Ino—scoffed. It was hard to reconcile the androgynous individual before him with the memories he had of his feminine teammate, but he had made the connection the minute she spoke. Her figure, however hidden by loose clothing she once would never wear, further gave her away, and the manner in which she walked to her pack merely solidified his assumptions. A shadow never forgets.

Ino spoke again, her voice returning to its normal pitch instead of the slightly lower one that would allow her to pass as a man. "You're far from home."

Shikamaru's brows furrowed over cloudy eyes. "Konoha's only three days away."

Another smirk. "I meant Suna."

"Suna's not my home."

"Could've fooled me," Ino said with spite, bowing her head. "How fares Konoha?"

He paused. What should he tell her? Many things had happened in the four years she had been gone, none of which mattered to her personally. "Fine," he said succinctly. It was too troublesome to go into detail. "Sakura's back."

Ino froze immediately at the name. When she spoke next, her voice was soft. "How's she doing?"

"Better. Furlough did her a lot of good."

"How long was she gone?"

"Two years."

"Her forehead's still as big as ever, I bet." A soft chuckle. He could hear the longing and fondness in Ino's voice, despite her insult. "I wonder if she ever forgave me. Guess I'll never know, huh?"

A silence fell on them, seeming to suffocate the small fire. Anxious to fill the air, Shikamaru said, "She was shocked to hear about you when she came back. Hounded me for answers, but I didn't have any."

"And who wasn't shocked? I'm surprised I wasn't executed on the spot when they dragged me back."

Ino stood suddenly and returned to her pack. She dug through her things for a moment, then brought over a small amount of food to his side. "It's all I can give you," she said, shoving the items into his hands, "and it's more than I can afford anyway. But it'll last you two days if you ration it, although it'll take you four days to get back to Konoha with that wound."

Shikamaru fingered his side. Ino had been proficient with medical ninjutsu, but never at the level needed to heal something so grave. Had she been trained by someone?

"And take it easy," she continued. Tch, still as bossy as ever. "It'll be at least two weeks before it heals properly, even though I did speed up the process a bit." Ino paused a moment, lips pursed. "Although, knowing you, you'll never listen to what I say, so do what you will." She returned to her pack and settled it on her back.

"You're going?" Shikamaru asked quickly. He made as if to stand up, but found he still had hardly any strength.

Casting a cool eye on her former teammate, Ino spoke, "There's nothing more to do, is there?"

_No_, Shikamaru thought critically, _but so much more to discuss._

She took his silence as an affirmative answer. "Well, then, I'll be off." She strolled to the edge of camp, her back to the fire and Shikamaru.

As she reached the darkness of the forest, she voiced quietly, "For what it's worth, I didn't leave because I wanted to."

"Please," came Shikamaru's scathing voice, suddenly angry, "you walked out of those gates of your own free will."

Ino turned sharply, her bangs fluttered to display boiling rage in her blue eyes. "And should I have taken the alternative?!" she demanded. "Stripped of my shinobi status, my chakra forever sealed, and seven years of prison?" She scoffed loudly, indignant. "The only way it could possibly have been any more humiliating was if my father were still alive to see how far I'd fallen."

"What did you expect, Ino? A free pass?" His anger now piqued, Shikamaru retorted, "How did you think the council would react to a Leaf shinobi burning down a civilian village?!"

Ino's eyes flashed with resentment. Her voice, gravelly, was low with fury . "Don't speak as if you know what happened that day."

"How did it feel, Ino, when you heard the screams of innocent men and women as they burned to death? As the walls of their home fell down upon their children, crushing them?"

Her eyes widened with shock and grief for the briefest of moments, and Shikamaru was suddenly ashamed of his words. The feeling faded quickly when Ino reached up to her ears and yanked out the studs Asuma had given them.

"I kept these for Chouji's sake, hell, perhaps even yours, but now I see that was a mistake." Eyes narrowed in rage, she threw the earrings at his feet and turned sharply, hastily making her way to the forest.

"Ino!" he called after her desperately.

She stopped at the tree line, keeping her back to him. "Ino died that day in the fire. I'm Kasei now." She stood still, her hands clenched into fists. "I chose to be exiled because leaving Konoha was better than giving up all the hard work I put into being a kunoichi. My jutsus are all I have left of my family." Turning her head slightly in his direction, she threw over her shoulder before withdrawing into the darkness, "Swift travels to Konoha, and may I never see your face again."

It was several moments before Shikamaru tore his eyes away from the spot where his former teammate had disappeared. He sighed, and reached for the earrings on the ground. He cradled them in his palm before sliding them into a pocket and laid himself down on his bed. Four years and that's how he greeted a lost friend? He pressed his palms into his eyes, suddenly very weary and exhausted. The fire was burning low, and would go out within the hour, but he was too tired to add more fuel. As he slept, he dreamed of Team Ten and Ino's look of grief all night.

How troublesome.

* * *

**Extraneous Author Note:** I would really appreciate your thoughts on this, especially considering this is my first foray into the vast Naruto fandom. I know I've completely changed Ino's personality, but hopefully it makes sense given the circumstances. As far as Shikamaru, I don't think I've quite got his character down, so I apologize if he comes across as out-of-character. Also, apologies for reducing Chouji to a plot device. ;o; I do love all of Ino-Shika-Chou, I promise!

Review, please!


	2. Molded by Flames

Pulling down his shirt, Shikamaru squirmed on the examination table, impatient to leave on his mission. On the other side of the room, a pink-haired medic scribbled on a clipboard. She flipped a few of the sheets over, scanning the information quickly.

"Alright," Sakura began, "you're cleared for your mission. Your wound's healed extremely well. No discomfort?" She raised a brow as she looked toward him.

He shook his head. Caressing his side, he smoothed his fingers over the wound Ino had healed three months ago.

"Good. You're free to go."

He jumped form the table quickly, reaching for the rest of his things. He turned to Sakura one more time before leaving, and was surprised to see the apprehensive look on her face.

"Something wrong?" he asked, hand on the doorframe.

"Oh, no," she answered hastily. "No, I was just…I just wanted to ask you something." She paused a moment, hesitant. "Have you…have you seen Ino since…?" her voice trailed off.

Shikamaru started. He hadn't told anyone about seeing his former teammate, even after the curious stares at his half-healed wound.

"No," he said simply. "Sorry."

"Oh, okay. I just figured you might've run into her on one of your missions. I don't leave the village much anymore, what with working at the hospital and all, so I haven't had time to look for her."

The Nara gave her a hard stare. "You shouldn't go after her."

The medic hung her head. "I know," she said softly. "I was just so surprised to hear what happened. I didn't expect her to not be here when I returned. You know I didn't even say goodbye when I left? I was so angry with her…anyway, you can go now. Sorry for keeping you."

Silently, Shikamaru left the room.

A short trip to his apartment for supplies and Shikamaru was stepping out of Konoha. He sauntered easily through the overarching gateway, suddenly itching to run through the trees at breakneck speed. After meeting Ino, Konoha's idyllic atmosphere did nothing to rid his mind of troubling thoughts concerning the blonde.

He stopped suddenly, turning his gaze to the side of the road where bunches of wildflowers grew. Walking over, he plucked a single flower, noting the specks of sky blue dotting the droopy, yellow petals.

"Troublesome," he muttered before slipping it into his pack.

* * *

Shikamaru slowed his breathing and masked his chakra as he spied through the trees. From his perch on a high branch, he could clearly see the river that flowed through the forest. There, bathing unabashedly in the clear waters, was Ino. Blonde hair—slightly longer than it had been months before—fell slickly down her wet back as she emerged from the waters after a dunk.

A slight blush crept onto Shikamaru's cheeks. He wasn't peeping, really, he had just sensed her chakra, the familiarity of it subconsciously drawing him closer, until he spotted her in the water. He was on his way back to Konoha from his message delivery mission to Mist when he felt her. He followed the pull of her chakra, and she just happened to be bathing.

Ino turned, and now he could see her naked body in full, his blush deepening. She emerged from the water, gracefully as he remembered her to be, and moved to the middle of the clearing, heading for her gear. Shikamaru stared at her bare form, taking in the soft curves of her body and watching water droplets slide down between her breasts. His traitorous eyes roved over her body, unable to tear himself away, when he was pushed from his perch by an unknown assailant, falling to the ground.

He landed with a loud thud on his stomach, the air knocked out of his lungs. He cursed himself for being so caught up with looking at Ino that he hadn't notice anyone behind him. His groaned as his attacker pressed harder on his back, realizing it was an animal when it growled dangerously.

"Shall I kill him for you, Kasei?" came a deep voice at his back.

Ino laughed, much to his chagrin. "No," she said regretfully. "I would like to speak to this one."

The animal on his back snorted in annoyance. "Fine." The weight was lifted from Shikamaru's back, and he breathed in hungrily.

He turned to see a large, spotted snow leopard staring at him, cold eyes boring into his own. The leopard rose from its low crouch and circled around Shikamaru, observing him the entire way.

"Shinsetsu," Ino spoke. The leopard flicked her eyes over to Ino for a brief moment, quickly returning his gaze to the shadow-nin. "He's not an enemy. You may leave now."

"As you say, little one," the spotted cat spoke, turning and disappearing into the forest, but not without sending a deep glare Shikamaru's way.

Regaining his breath, the Nara stared at Ino, now thankfully clothed, the baggy, monotone garments hiding her feminine figure. Her ears were glaringly bare.

"Enjoy the show?" She lifted a brow, a cocky smile on her face.

"Hn," he answered, turning his head to hide his returning blush. Ino stepped towards where he was sitting on the ground, and sat before him.

"I thought you never wanted to see me again?" he spoke.

She merely smiled. "I didn't, but things don't always work out the way we want them to, eh?"

He said nothing.

"Did you really think I didn't know you were in the trees, peeping at me? Who'd have thought the genius Nara Shikamaru was a closet pervert."

He glowered at her. "You were drawing me to you chakra. Don't blame me if you were bathing out in the open."

Ino gave another smirk, and lied back to stare at the sky, hands folded beneath her head.

"Who was that?" he questioned.

"Who, Shinsetsu?" Ino furrowed her brows. "She's a snow leopard from the mountains of the Land of Snow. I saved her from poachers who would've killed her for her fur."

"And you can summon her?"

"What? No, I don't know how to summon. She just jumps out to protect me when I need her to. Half the time I'm not even aware she's there. Says she'll follow me until her debt is paid."

Shikamaru was silent, contemplating what he had just learned.

"You're on a mission, right?" Ino spoke. "What kind?"

"You know I can't tell you."

"Please," she scoffed. "Like it even matters. I told you I'm not a missing-nin, I'm not out for Konoha's destruction."

"No, you're just an exiled-nin who doesn't care either way what happens."

"Right," she said with a smile. "Why should I owe loyalty to a village that threw me away so quickly? After all I've done for it?"

The shadow-nin narrowed his eyes. "You know what you did was unforgiveable, Ino."

"Pfft, as if you know what really happened. That mission report was a load of bull."

"Then tell me what happened," he demanded.

Ino sat up, cold, blue eyes narrowed at him. "You know what? You don't deserve to know." She stood and moved to the fire, gathering material to prepare a meal.

"I don't deserve to know?!" Shikamaru seethed. He followed after her, yanking her arm to force her to look at him. "I leave for one year, and when I come back, Chouji's dead and you're exiled! I have a right to know what happened to my teammates!"

"The teammates you abandoned?" she spat, eyes raging with fury.

"It was one measly year! Could you not hold out for that long? Must I always come and clean up your mess?"

She pushed him away from her roughly. "Oh, yes, of course. I'm the troublemaker, and you're the genius who has to make everything right. It's bad enough that everyone gave me flak for being born a girl, breaking precious Ino-Shika-Chou tradition, but I always held my own. I never needed your help."

He bristled. "You know our fathers were only joking about you being a girl. It wasn't serious."

She turned away, burying the deep-seated anger. "Maybe you are right. I'm just the girl who can't do anything on my own without my teammates. Maybe if you hadn't left for Suna, Chouji would still be alive."

He felt as if she'd slapped him. "Suna? Is that what this is all about? Me leaving for Suna?"

"What do you think? You went off to chase that annoying Sand pest and left us behind."

"Temari's not a pest," he growled.

"Oh, of course not, my apologies," she spoke bitterly. "You actually enjoy her advances."

"That's not why I became the ambassador to Suna and you know it." He gripped her arms tightly, keeping her locked in his gaze.

"Do I? How was I supposed to feel?" Her eyes were beginning to shine with tears. "I pour out my heart to you, I tell you I love you and everything, and the next day you leave for _Suna_? I may not be a genius, Shikamaru, but I'm no fool."

She broke away from him, wiping the few tears that spilled, and stared into the fire. "I think it's time you left."

The Nara was suddenly remorseful. Ino stood before him, hugging herself, the girl he remembered when he left for Suna, not the tough, exiled-nin she had become. There was a time when she wouldn't spurn an embrace from him, but it had long passed, and he squashed the desire to hold her.

"Ino," he began.

"Kasei," she insisted. "Born of fire and flames. Ino is gone."

Staring at her, the once-warm blue eyes now cold, he could believe it.

Ino was gone.

She slipped away into the forest, merging easily into the shadows. Frustrated, Shikamaru tore his pack off his back and hurled it into the nearest tree, and watched as it broke open, spilling out a few scrolls and other supplies. To his surprise, the flower he had plucked before he left slipped out as well, its pale, yellow petals bruised from the trip in his backpack.

He stood motionless, gazing listlessly at the flower. Ino would be back at some point, having left her things in the half-made campsite, and he wanted to be gone when she returned. He reached for his fallen gear and began packing them away again. Sighing, he stretched a hand to the flower and stood as his fingers closed over the broken stem.

It was a common flower, found all over Konoha and surrounding areas. But it was undeniably beautiful, each flower unique in its spread of glossy, sky-blue specks spotting the petals. Shikamaru tenderly stroked the delicate blossom.

He shouldered his pack, and walked into the forest toward Konoha, but not before placing the flower atop Ino's things gently.

* * *

It was several minutes before he realized he was being followed. He was distracted again, he knew, otherwise his stalker wouldn't have come so close. Keeping his steady pace, he feigned ignorance and continued on his path, waiting to see what his pursuer would do.

He didn't have to wait long. He was halfway to another branch, when he was tackled in the air. He was unprepared, his attacker having been very swift, and landed on his back this time, the breath knocked out of him again.

Leaning over him, teeth bared and growling ferociously, was the snow leopard from earlier.

_Shinseto, Shintesu?_ Shikamaru thought, trying to remember her name.

The leopard gave a roar, and he half-expected to have his head ripped off. Thankfully, the leopard backed off, speaking begrudgingly, "I won't kill you, although I wish to."

Shikamaru sat up and inched away from the prowling leopard, muscles ripping underneath her spotted fur as she stalked the shadow-nin in a circle. He was tense, his eyes flickering around for some means of escape. As if sensing his thoughts, the leopard jumped in front of him and flashed her dangerous eyes.

"The little one has asked me to spare you," she pronounced, "and I would like to know why."

He scrunched his brows in thought. Just as he was about to answer, the leopard cut him off.

"You are the first of her attackers I haven't killed. Who are you?"

"I didn't attack her," Shikamaru growled.

"Only because I stopped you in time."

"No!" he practically yelled, and the leopard paused in her movements, muscled tensed and poised to pounce on him. "I would never hurt her," he spoke softer.

"Ah," said the leopard, straightening from her stance and circling him once again. "You are from her before."

Shikamaru blinked in confusion.

"She doesn't speak of her before very often, and I have never seen you though I have been with her for the past four years. You must be very dear to her if she asked me to spare you." She came very close to him, thrusting her face into his personal space. She was…sniffing him? "What is your name?" she asked.

"Sh-shikamaru," he spoke tentatively as her muzzle came very close to his face.

"Shikamaru," she replied, backing away. "My name is Shinsetsu."

_Ah_, he thought. _That's what it was._

She leapt away, landing on a high tree branch with uncanny grace, and set her face toward the setting sun, in the direction of Konoha. She was sniffing again. "You are a ways from home."

"Yes," he said, standing now that she wasn't a threat anymore.

"Tell me," she began as she jumped down from her perch, "is she from your village?"

"Was," he answered simply.

"Yes, she did imply she cannot go back. That is unfortunate. She seems to have lingering loyalty to a place she deems unworthy of her thoughts." Shinsetsu strolled behind Shikamaru, toward Ino's camp. "Still, it matters not. I will follow her wherever until my debt is paid."

"Is that why you haven't returned to the Land of Snow?"

The spotted cat threw deeply black eyes at Shikamaru, blinking slowly. "She saved my life, Shikamaru. When I was abandoned, alone in the wilderness with my captors far from home, there was no one who cared for me. I was left to die by my family, and I would have had it not been for her. When I was a stranger, she risked her life to free me, without want of reparation or payment. Though she has not asked for it, I will protect her until I have repaid my debt."

Shikamaru nodded in understanding. Maybe this leopard was part of the reason Ino was still alive. "Thank you," he said, "for keeping her safe while I could not."

Shinsetsu raised her head in acknowledgment, then bounded through the trees back to Ino. Shikamaru, watching her until she became indistinguishable in the distance, turned his gaze toward Konoha, and began walking home. That night, as he neared the gates of his home, when Chouji asked if he had seen Into lately, he replied simply, "Yes."

* * *

**Author Note: **I would really, _really_ love to know your thoughts so far. How am I doing for my first Naruto fanfic? Please review!


	3. The Setting Sun Burns

**Author Note:** Much thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter. It's great getting feedback! :)

* * *

The sounds of construction filled Shikamaru's ears as he sauntered through the village of Hojimou. The sun beat down high in the sky, and he was tired just thinking of all the work it took to rebuild after the tragedy four years ago. Half the village walls were up, towering above the numerous buildings that were already completed.

"This is a nice village," Chouji commented as he looked for a food vendor. "How do you think their katsudon compares to Konoha's?"

"I'm sure it's fine," Shikamaru mumbled.

He continued his meandering through the village, noting the amicable atmosphere. Most of the villagers were happy in their daily work, rebuilding homes and shops, and laughter was not a strange sound to come by. From the other side of the road, a blonde-haired boy caught his eye. He couldn't have been more than thirteen years old, and was staring at the shadow-nin strangely, his green eyes narrowed in thought. Long bangs covered half of his face, but he was definitely scowling. Shikamaru paid him no mind, and walked off.

A child ran past him, nearly toppling him, but he caught himself in time. He watched the young boy clamber up to a man busy hammering a wall. The man paused, scooped the child up to toss him into the air, smiles adorning both their faces.

"Look, Hiroki!" the man spoke, pride lacing his words. "Soon the village will be complete again, and bustling just like before!" The child laughed, squirmed in the man's arms, and he scurried to a small group of children playing tag once he was put down.

"It's been a while since I've come to this village," Chouji spoke again. "It'll be much bigger than before once construction is complete."

"Chouji," Shikamaru began, choosing his words carefully. "What happened when you came here?"

"Oh, it was just the usual mission. Tsunade sent us to see about some ninja terrorizing the village. I'm sure Ino dealt with him."

The shadow-nin sighed. Chouji was no help, and neither was the mission report someone had filed on propriety. There were mentions of a rouge shinobi, but no one knew who it was, and those that did were long dead or gone. He was no closer to understanding why Ino had burned the village than when he first learned of her treason.

"You there!" called the man he had been watching earlier.

Shikamaru looked around for the person he was calling out to, and seeing nobody, realized the man meant him.

"Grab me a piece of wood and bring it here!"

Noticing a pile of wooden boards not far from where he stood, the shinobi did as he was bid, grumbling the entire way. The man took the board and thanked him, resuming his hammering.

"Never seen you around here," he remarked.

"Just passing through," Shikamaru answered simply.

"I see. The name's Chikao. You've seen my son, Hiroki." He nodded toward his son.

"Shikamaru," The Nara offered. "Do you live here?"

Chikao nodded. "I was born here, but left when I my parents died. I heard about the tragedy and was devastated, so a few months ago I came back with my family to help rebuild. Just a few more weeks and reconstruction will be finished."

Noises from the builders filled the silence. Shikamaru spoke at length, "What happened to the village?"

A grimace came over the older man's face. "Something to do with shinobi. I try my best not to deal with those kind." Shikamaru was suddenly grateful for his decision to dress in civilian clothing that day. "All I know is, some ninja took over the village, and so they hired Konoha shinobi to deal with him. Apparently they couldn't, because next thing you know, the village is up in flames with no survivors." Chikao shook his head, and lifted his hammer to a nail.

Shikamaru continued his walk through the village, ambling with no haste. He neared the village walls where it was half-completed and paused suddenly, stunned to notice the person nonchalantly sitting atop the completed wall.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were following me," voiced Ino, staring up at the clouds, one leg stretched out before her, the other bent with an arm lazily extended on it. She lowered her gaze to meet his eyes, and gave a cocky smile.

"Ino."

She rolled her eyes, quickly standing and jumping down beside him. "How many times do I have to tell you? It's Kasei, lazy ass."

"Too troublesome to remember," he retorted.

"It's only been a week since I saw you last. What brings you around these parts?" she inquired innocently.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"What? I can't return to the scene of the crime?" she joked. She motioned to the various plants dotting the landscape. "I help out."

"Guilty, I see."

For a moment, her mask failed, her clear, blue eyes hazing in the loss of her control, lips pulled tight. Then it was gone, as soon as it had come. A smirk crept onto her lips. "Perhaps," she said strangely.

Shikamaru was about to move closer, to demand more answers, when a well-aimed kunai sliced through the air between them. Ino whipped her head around and snatched the kunai from its deep plant in the wood of the village wall.

"Inohi!" she hissed.

A shadow moved, and before Shikamaru could perform his shadow possession, the blonde boy from earlier leapt from behind a nearby building. The shadow-nin narrowly dodged a kick to his head, and rolled to the side, righting himself just in time to see the boy performing hand seals. Before the boy could finish, Ino swatted his hands and harshly chastised him, "What did I tell you about performing ninjutsu in the village?!"

The boy growled, and grudgingly stopped in his act. He glared to Shikamaru and snarled, "He's a Leaf shinobi."

"I know," Ino stated.

The boy stared unbelievingly at her. "And you're talking to him?"

"Yes. There's a few things I have to discuss with him. Now go, I'm sure Chikao needs help."

"No, he doesn't, I just asked—"

"_Go_," Ino ordered.

Casting one hateful glance at Shikamaru, he turned and muttered under his breath, "Pathetic Leaf shinobi."

Once he was out of earshot, Shikamaru demanded, "Who was that?!"

"Inohi," Ino replied frankly. "She's a handful, but a good companion."

"She?" He raised a brow.

"Yes. The world outside a village is not a forgiving one, especially to women. It's safer this way."

"Why wasn't she with you the other times I met you?"

"I send her on missions, occasionally."

"By herself?"

"We were her age when we went out on our first missions."

"Yeah, with a jounin instructor and two other teammates!"

Ino shrugged. "It's good training for her. She'll need it if she wants to survive out here."

Shikamaru could only shake his head. "I take it Inohi's not her real name."

She was silent a moment. "No. I renamed her after I took her in."

"Where is she from?"

Ino paused, wondering what to say. Softly, she answered, "This village. Before I burned it down."

Shikamaru could only stare.

"After I was exiled from Konoha, I came back to the ruins. Chouji's buried here. She was huddled by his grave, crying." Ino pulled over her pack and pulled out the sheet of fabric Shikamaru had seen when he first met her. The vertical, wavy lines of the circular symbol were stitched with gold thread onto what he realized was a flag. "She was only eight. I couldn't leave her there, not after what I did. So I took her with me, and renamed her Inohi."

"And taught her to be a shinobi," the shadow-nin added, motioning to the kunai still in Ino's hand.

"No," she snapped forcefully, shoving the kunai into a holster strapped around her waist. "I taught her how to survive. No one cares for you out here, no one but yourself."

Shikamaru looked into Ino's eyes, noticing once again the hard set of her jaw, the fire in her eyes. Ino was an excellent ninja, but nowhere on par with actual missing-nins. That she had survived this long, even with help from Shinsetsu, spoke of her determination and resolve.

"And her hatred of Konoha ninja?"

"I told her they burned her village down."

Shikamaru could only stare skeptically at her. "Are you serious?"

"It's true!" she spat back.

"And when do you plan on telling her that you're the one that burned her village?"

A forceful glare came his way. He sighed. The troublesome woman was making things even more complicated.

"What?" she barked. "You expected me to leave her there?"

"Do you not see the problem if she finds out?" he asked, exasperated.

Ino bit her lip. "Weren't you the one who promised to protect the king? To protect the children, the future of the village?"

"Well, if you hadn't burned down the village, this wouldn't be a problem!"

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Ino raised a hand to her forehead in vexation and abruptly began to walk away.

"Hey," called Shikamaru. "Where are you going?"

Without turning, Ino answered, "To visit Chouji's grave."

He followed immediately, keeping a few paces behind, muttering all the while. Chouji's grave was located not far from the village, hidden in the shade of a large oak tree. Various flowers dotted the landscape, rosemary being the most prolific plant. _Remembrance_. Shikamaru wasn't surprised.

Ino, plucking a blossom off a nearby pear tree, walked up to the large oak, and laid the flower at the base of the wide trunk. She was strangely quiet and morose, her eyes downcast. Shikamaru took a step toward her.

"Chouji visits me sometimes," he voiced, staring up into the tree's canopy.

"Does he?" she replied, eyes still trained on the ground. "He doesn't come see me. Thankfully."

Shikamaru sucked in a large breath of air. The depressing atmosphere was making him uncomfortable. He reached for his cigarettes in his pocket and stuck one between his teeth. He was about to light it when Ino stood and, seeing the cigarette, plucked it from his lips as she walked past him.

He cursed, and lunged for her hands. She dodged his grasp nimbly and crushed the cigarette between her fingers.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded.

"Keeping my word. I promised Asuma-sensei I would look after you and Chouji," she pronounced with narrowed eyes.

"Great job you've done so far."

Ino froze at his words, the crushed cigarette falling through her open fingers. Shikamaru's eyes widened, shocked at his own tongue. He hadn't meant to say something so scathing.

"Look, Ino—"

She held up a hand. "No, no, you're right. I am pathetic at keeping my promises. I couldn't even keep you in Konoha—hell, I practically drove you out with my confession." She had a smile on her face now, a cruel, cynical tilt of the lips that left a sour taste in Shikamaru's mouth. "I couldn't keep you and I couldn't save Chouji. A wonderful student I turned out to be, eh, Asuma-sensei?"

They lapsed into a deep silence. Finally, Shikamaru asked, "Why'd you do it?"

"There's a lot things I've done, Shika."

"Burn the village."

Ino stared at him before flicking her eyes away in annoyance.

"Nothing could have been so terrible that it warranted the death of innocent civilians," he stated.

"Innocent?!" Ino all but roared. "They hired us to take care of a rouge shinobi that had taken over the village, but decided instead that they would give us up in hopes he would leave them alone. They lured Chouji into the village and practically served him on silver platter."

"I don't care what they did, Ino. You're a Konoha kunoichi! You do not make stupid, brash decisions like burning down a civilian village!"

"Stupid? Well, I'm sorry I'm not a genius who could come up with two hundred different ways to save Chouji before they tore his body to pieces and ripped his head off!"

"That was enough for you to lose your composure? We've lost comrades before, Ino! This is nothing new, you know that!"

"I cannot _believe_ you. They killed your best friend, and you're defending them?"

He bristled. "This isn't about me or Chouji," he spoke through clenched teeth. "This is about you doing something so utterly thoughtless and irresponsible as to get yourself exiled!"

"You didn't see his body hanging from the village walls, ripped to shreds and being pillaged by vultures! Chouji was all I had left!" she boomed, tears pooling in her eyes. "My father is dead. You went gallivanting off to Suna. Sakura hadn't spoken to me in _weeks_ before she left. So, no, I wasn't thinking straight when I set that damn village on fire!" Tears spilled down her cheeks. "You may not have cared for Ino-Shika-Chou after Asuma died, but I still did."

She fell to her knees, suddenly drained. She hated seeing Shikamaru after all this time; it never boded well for her emotions. She pulled her legs in and wrapped her arms around them, burying her face in her knees.

"You know why Sakura hates me so much?"

The memory of his check-up with the Haruno girl flashed through his mind. "She doesn't hate you."

"Please. She sure did when she left Konoha."

"Not anymore," he insisted.

"Well, it doesn't matter now." Staring off into the sky, Ino swiped at her tears. "I refused to heal Sasuke. Naruto had already died, but Sasuke was still alive, barely breathing. Sakura was crying and pumping all her chakra into him, but it was no use. He'd never survive. She was begging me to help her, but I was a pathetic friend and I refused. Now I know how she felt, though. It's a terrible feeling, being unable to save your friend even though they're right in front of you. They're right at your fingertips, but you know nothing can save them." She buried her face in her arms again. "I'd never felt so alone as I did when Chouji died."

The immensity of her words struck Shikamaru. It wasn't his fault, he knew, but he couldn't help feeling partly responsible. If only he hadn't been a coward. He sat behind her and caught her in his arms before she could move away. She was shaking with quiet sobs beneath his embrace.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear. "I'm sorry you were alone."

She stilled.

Trailing a hand through her short hair, Shikamaru marveled at the brightness of her tresses. She had changed, of course, but she had still retained the beauty that drew him to her in the first place, even underneath the baggy clothes and voice of a man. The ambassadorship to Suna was him being a coward; running away from things he couldn't understand and didn't want to think about. But she had cornered him, trapped him one day to confess her feelings, and he, hesitant and afraid, had left for Suna the next day, a week earlier than planned.

When he came back, it was to the somber news of Chouji's death and Ino's exile. The two constants in his life were gone, and he shouldn't have been surprised, given Asuma's death, but he thought it nearly impossible for them to cease being a team. He hadn't gone looking for Ino because he heard what she did, and he couldn't trust himself to not do something he'd regret.

But now he regretted it all the same. He pushed her hair away and pressed a small kiss onto the base of her neck. She stiffened beneath him, holding her breath, then abruptly pushed him away and stood up. There was fear, clear, unadulterated fear in her eyes and she took a step back, stuttering, "Wha…what was that? What are you…"

Shikamaru stood, cautiously walking forward. "Ino," he started as he came closer.

"No, no," Ino insisted, shaking her head vigorously. "No, you don't get to leave and come back and sweep me off my feet just like that! You left me for Temari!"

"You know I didn't." He was so close, she could smell the scent of Konoha on him. It invigorated and repulsed her at the same time.

"Stop, just stop. I can't do this anymore," and she moved to run away, just as he had all those years ago, but he reached out and caught her snugly in his arms. She struggled to be free, and they fell in a tangled heap upon Chouji's grave.

Ino cried out at the impact with the ground, Shikamaru's weight pressing down upon her. He silenced her with a kiss on the mouth this time. His lips were cold, and tasted of despair.

"Please," he pleaded, desperation clear in his voice, when she tried to push him off. "Please…let me have this. Just this once."

His dark eyes implored her and his hands pinched her where they grasped her arms and his weight held her down. And as his hands slid underneath her shirt and his lips covered hers again, she gave in because she still loved him and never really gave him up.

The sky was a blend of yellow and orange when he shuddered to his final release. She performed hands seals behind his back and put him to sleep. She had to leave soon, if only to escape the man-boy who made her feel like Ino when she hadn't been for the past four years. But she waited briefly, to take in the moment, because with Shikamaru between her legs and Chouji at her back, she finally felt whole.

Ino-Shika-Chou, as it always was.

* * *

"Are you going to get dressed?"

"Shut up, Chouji," Shikamaru intoned, grabbing a handful of leaves from where he laid, and weakly threw them in the direction of his friend's ghost. It was night now, meaning Ino had to have put him to sleep before she left. He gazed into the night sky, unconsciously connecting stars, his mind awhirl with thoughts. Did he regret his recent actions? He couldn't say.

"I like it here," Chouji said. He was leaning against the large oak tree, looking about him. "It's pretty nice, and I'll even get pears when they're in season!"

"Isn't Ino so thoughtful," Shikamaru deadpanned, intent on lying where he was.

"I don't understand you two. Why didn't you just tell her that you love her? I mean, that's the whole reason you left for Suna, right? So you could figure things out?"

The Nara grunted.

"Although, I don't see how you'd have time to think with Gaara's sister around…anyway, she already said she loved you, so what's the big problem?"

Shikamaru sighed. This was the difficulty with talking to Chouji after his death. He never seemed fully aware of the situation, always seeing the beauty and simplicity of the atmosphere but not the subtle undercurrents.

"It's…complicated," he said at last.

"You're a genius, Shika! Figure it out."

Groaning, Shikamaru sat up and looked around for his clothes. They were scattered throughout the small area. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed the nearest piece of clothing.

"Hey, Shika?" Chouji called out as he pulled on his shirt.

"Yeah?" The voice was muffled, Shikamaru's head still caught between the fabric.

"I think I'm going to stay here. This is a really nice place Ino picked out for me and I wouldn't want to waste her hard efforts." He smiled in his friend's direction. "Is that alright? Will you two be okay without me?"

Reaching for his pants, Shikamaru turned to his long-time friend. "Yeah, Chouji, we'll be fine. You stay and get some rest, alright?"

The Akimichi's figure began to fade, dissipating into the night air. He smile, however, was still largely visible, even as he grew fainter. "Name a kid after me, okay?"

"Sure thing, Chouji," the shadow-nin murmured into the warm, night air, wondering if he could keep his word. The last of Chouji 's image vanished, a sparkle coming off his stud earrings. Shikamaru stood in the clearing, half-clothed and vastly alone.

* * *

Dusk was falling when Kasei finally returned to camp. Inohi lifted her eyes from the food she had been eating and, seeing Kasei's distracted state, asked what was wrong.

Kasei said nothing, but continued to brood. She walked over to her pack and riffled through it. After a moment, she stop, hesitated, and then asked, "How did you know he was a Leaf shinobi?"

Inohi started. "I…he just looks like one!" she answered defensively.

Kasei narrowed her eyes and stood. "Inohi," came her voice, a warning in her tone.

"I can tell," Inohi said with vehemence. "I can tell when someone's guilty of heinous crimes."

Walking toward the younger girl, Kasei reached out and grabbed the front of her shirt. "Tell me," she hissed.

"Fine!" Shoving herself away, Inohi walked to the pile of their things and busied herself with her pack. "I go to Konoha when you send me out sometimes."

Anger flashed across Kasei's face. "You do _what_?"

"I stake out Konoha!" the younger girl cried out. "I'm not stupid enough to go in or be seen. I just watch the shinobi coming in and going out."

"Why?"

"Why? _Why_? They killed my family, Kasei! Burned down my whole village! How am I just supposed to forget that?"

Kasei, standing still, was quiet, something unreadable in her eyes. "Revenge isn't a good path to embark on," she said slowly.

"I know, you tell me that all the time. But it's not revenge, it's just…I want to know. I need to know. Why did they burn down my village?"

"I…I don't know," Kasei lied.

Inohi quieted. She reached for Kasei's backpack, looking for their journal logs. Unable to find it, she rummaged through a side pocket, her fingers brushing against a smooth piece of cloth. Scrunching her brows, she pulled it out to see it better in the firelight.

"What is this?" she asked. Kasei turned her head.

It was a large piece of cloth, royal purple with a symbol stitched in gold thread. Kasei's eyes widened.

"What…why do you have this…?" she inquired, holding it up to the light. The symbol of her village shone in the dark.

"Inohi—"

"This is the flag from my village. Why...?" Inohi's dark green eyes flashed with understanding. "That night, when the village burned, I saw the Leaf shinobi who burned down the village, he took the flag when he left—"

"Listen to me, Ino—"

"It was you!" Inohi scrambled to her feet, realization dawning, pulling the flag with her. "It was…you? You burned down the village? You're a Leaf shinobi?!"

Kasei blanched. She pleaded, "Let me explain, Inohi! It's not what you think!"

There was fear and distrust in Inohi's eyes. "You don't even deny it! All this time I thought you were my friend, but you're the one who killed my family?" She lowered her eyes to the flag in her hands. "You killed them all…my friends, my village…"

"Inohi—"

"I am not Inohi!" she screamed. "I am Mishima Kiriko!" She dashed off into the night, leaving behind her belongings.

Kasei swore underneath her breath. Kicking the fire out, she pulled on her pack and took after the girl. It was hard, considering she was still sore between the legs; Shikamaru was _rough_. She sighed as she hastily healed herself and followed the signs of Inohi's passage. Her carefully constructed life after leaving Konoha was slowly unraveling, and she wasn't sure she could pull the pieces together again a second time.

* * *

**Author Note:** Thanks for reading! Hope this clears up any confusion about Chouji; yes, he's a ghost. If you've still any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Please review!


	4. Naught is Left Here

Kasei tore through the trees, still following Inohi's trail. The younger girl was fast and spry, having pushed herself so she now held a lead of about half a day. She was sloppy though, leaving a visible trail that any person could follow. Kasei shook her head as she landed amongst the remains of a hastily-cleared campsite. The fire had been left to die on its own, a small glow coming from a few dying embers. Kicking dirt to smother the last of the fire, Kasei turned to the left where a trail of broken branches laid.

She sighed and took off after her ward. It was imperative that she catch up to the younger shinobi. Given her state of distress, it was anyone's guess what Inohi would do once she reached her destination.

And Kasei had to get to her before she reached Konoha.

* * *

Landing amongst the foliage, Inohi peeked through the leaves, apprehensive. She clutched a well-worn kunai in her right hand, her muscled tensed as she surveyed the scene before her. It wasn't pretty.

As she neared Konoha, she could fell the disturbance in the air miles away. Apparently, the village was under attack. By who, Inohi wasn't interested. Most of the fighting was occurring right outside the village gates, the swarm of shinobi moving like a roving beast. Kunai and shuriken filled the air.

Inohi wasn't exactly sure what she planned to do once she reached the village. Fueled by anger at Kasei's deception, she blindly headed straight for the source of her anguish and pain. She hadn't really thought beyond getting away from Kasei.

Now she was at a loss. It would be ridiculously stupid for her to join the brawl, given she would be fighting against both sides with no allies herself. At the moment, it would be best for her to stay neutral and consider her options once a victor became apparent.

She gripped her kunai harder. A scene to Inohi's right caught her attention, and distracted her long enough for a flash of green to come crashing into her hiding spot. She shrieked and scrambled away, brandishing her kunai at the man attempting to stand.

Dressed in a green jumpsuit, the dark-haired man made it to his knees clumsily before his eyes fell on Inohi and widened at seeing her waving a kunai at his face. Before he could move or speak, Inohi kicked him solidly in the chest and dashed out into the open, cursing herself for getting spotted and being forced from her hiding spot.

She had hardly stumbled out into the open before a fire jutsu was aimed her way. Quickly sprinting to the side, she was able to avoid the majority of the fire, but the sleeve of her left arm caught ablaze. Frantic, Inohi stripped off her outer shirt and cast it away as to not burn herself. The ninja who had sent the jutsu laughed at her antics. She turned to him, outraged, and launched herself at him with an unnatural speed she had acquired from living on the run with Kasei. Her opponent had barely taken two breaths before he was dead, a kunai lodged in his throat.

Inohi wasn't sure who was a rogue or Leaf shinobi, but it mattered not. Thrown into the fray, her only thought was to survive somehow, regardless of who would win the battle. She'd have cast her lot with the victor anyway.

Barreling her way through three more shinobi, Inohi found herself at the edges of the battlefield, staring into the scrimmage. She was breathing hard, blood splattering her outfit. She slipped back into the surrounding forest to survey the scene. At the back of the battle, a lone ninja stood. There was something peculiar about this shinobi, though. Inohi took in his figure, noting the grisly smile on his face.

When the realization hit, her blood ran cold.

* * *

Shikamaru took a long drag of his cigarette. He had managed to sneak his way back into the village, skirting the ongoing battle at the front gates. Standing in the hokage's office now, he reviewed the facts of the conflict.

"So the leader of these rogue shinobi, did he give a name?" he asked, smoke wafting from his cigarette in his hand.

The Godaime shook her head. "No, just sent a message for unconditional surrender."

"Did he seriously think he could take on a village of shinobi with his motley gang?" Shikamaru walked to the window and stared out into the village.

"Apparently. He did pick an opportune time to attack." Kakashi materialized out of the shadows of the Hokage's office. His hands, for once, were free of any novels.

Shikamaru flicked his eyes over to the man. "Half of our forces are out on missions. He's got intel on Konoha's workings."

"I'd ask how your little vacation went, Nara, but we've got more important matters to discuss," the Hokage continued. "Thankfully most of the summer missions are lower ranked, so the majority of the jounins are still in the village."

Shikamaru grunted in agreement. "I've seen some of the battle. Those shinobi are skilled, mostly chuunin rank and above. We'll leave the new genin as backup support."

"We should direct the battle away from the village," Kakashi intoned. "Draw out the leader and force him into the forest. It'll be a tougher battle, but it assures Konoha will take less damage. The civilians have already been evacuated into the cave shelters."

Nodding, Shikamaru was about to speak when a loud explosion was heard in the distance. Large amounts of smoke were billowing from the village gates, and shouting could be heard in the din.

"They're trying to bomb the gates open!" Shikamaru realized, jumping out a window and sliding down the roof. Tsunade and Kakashi were not far behind, the Hokage having grabbed a flak vest she was now putting on. They fled over the rooftops to the front gates, adrenaline surging them forward.

* * *

The battle was bloody, numerous bodies littering the ground, making it treacherous to even walk. It was gruesome, and for once, Kasei was actually glad to no longer be a Lead shinobi. She quickly dispatched an enemy sneaking up behind her, scanning the crowd for signs of Inohi. It didn't talk long.

The younger girl came crashing into Kasei, knocking them both into the ground and causing them to lose their breath.

Irritated, Kasei was about to admonish the girl when Inohi scrambled to her feet and dragged Kasei into the surrounding underbrush.

"Kasei!" Inohi's voice rose in trepidation.

"What's going on?" Kasei demanded.

"He's here," the green-eyed girl breathed.

"Who?"

"Hiiruke."

Immediately falling silent, Kasei froze, a dangerous look coming upon her face. She shoved Inohi further into the trees. "Stay here," she commanded.

"Where are you going?!" Inohi called out toward Kasei's retreating back.

Kasei paused momentarily, throwing over her shoulder, "To finish what I started," before sprinting out of the forest.

"You're going to get yourself killed," Inohi muttered, taking off after her.

* * *

Shikamaru dodged a kunai and trapped an enemy in his shadow possession long enough for him to slit his throat. His eyes scanned the battlefield, looking for the leader of the attackers. He didn't have long before another ninja was upon him, a water jutsu striking him in the face. Still reeling, he couldn't dodge the next blow, and waited for the pain to envelope his senses, but a well-aimed palm sent his assailant flying.

Staggering to his feet, he muttered a quick "Thanks" before turning to face his next opponent.

Beside him, Neji grunted. "It's good you're back," he said succinctly before throwing another shinobi into a tree.

"How long have—" Shikamaru began, but was interrupted when a rain of senbon descended upon them, killing two nearby ninja. He ducked, but it seemed unnecessary as the weapons barely grazed him. Neji, unfazed, smirked as he went for another enemy.

"Are you doubting my aim, Shikamaru?" Tenten said teasingly as she flicked a shuriken over Shikamaru's shoulder at a shinobi creeping up behind him.

"No," he grunted, eyeing the writhing man on the ground with a shuriken through his eye. A shadow rose and smothered the shinobi, ending his misery. "Just took me by surprise."

Tenten gave a grin, jumped into the air, and disappeared in a whirl of flying kunai and senbon.

Shikamaru turned back to the melee and attacked the enemy with fervor. Slowly, he made his way to the edges of the field, where he would best be able to find the leader and redirect the battle away from the village. He had just offed a particularly annoying fire jutsu-user when a flash of blonde hair caught his eye. Astonished, he barely had the time to form hands seals and capture the girl before she dashed off again.

The blonde in his shadow possession screeched in anger at being trapped and writhed futilely.

"Stop moving," he called to her. He wasn't out of chakra, far from it, but he did need to conserve what he had.

The girl stopped moving, and he slowly released her. She turned swiftly, a kunai in hand, hardened eyes widening at the sight of him.

"You!" she cried. "You're the one Kasei was talking to at Hojimou!"

He nodded. Before he could speak again, she spoke, "You have to stop her! Please!"

"What?" Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.

"Kasei," said the girl, waving her arms frantically. There was blood on her person. Had she been fighting? And what was her name again? "She followed me here, and then she saw the fight, and ugh! I was so stupid! I told her about Hiiruke and she ran off—"

"Wait, who?"

"—and she'll probably get herself killed and—"

Rushing forward, he grasped her shoulders and shook her still. "Who is Hiiruke?"

The girl quieted. "He's the one who leads this pack of shinobi; they take over a village until its dry of resources and money, and then he kills everyone. He's also the one who took over my village. Big, creepy shinobi, white hair, black eyes, arms that can grow freakishly long—"

Understanding slammed into Shikamaru as he recalled his first meeting with Ino. His wound throbbed as if in memory, and he pushed the girl into the surrounding forest.

"Stay out of the battle," he commanded her, scanning for Ino.

"Please," the girl begged, "you have to stop her. She's going to do something stupid, I know it. She always loses her composure when it concerns Hiiruke."

He looked at her face, past the bangs styled the same as Ino's, into green eyes that pleaded with him. He nodded, and ran back into the mass of fighting shinobi, looking for Kakashi.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him began to crumble and pull apart. He jumped to the side just in time, screams filling his ears as other ninja fell to their death. Up ahead, Sakura rose from the ground, wringing out her hand and snarling at the shinobi that tumbled into the ravine she created.

"Sakura!" he yelled. "Do you know where Kakashi is?"

"Shikamaru? No, I don't. What's wrong?" She ran to him, running her eyes over his figure to check for wounds.

"I'm fine," he said hastily. "I know who the leader is. We need to draw the fight away from Konoha."

The medic nodded. "I'll look for Kaka-sensei."

"No, I'll look for him. Just find whoever you can and meet me at the edge of the forest farthest from Konoha."

"Okay!"

As Sakura raced to find help, Shikamaru clambered into a nearby tree to scan the area for the white-haired jounin. The mess of bodies and jutsus made it hard to see clearly, and Shikamaru cursed the waning sunlight. A flash of lightning came from the right, and as he was about to jump from his perch, something caught his eye. It was another stream of blonde hair, this one much lighter than before.

It was Ino.

To his chagrin, he realized she was fighting Neji. The Byakugan-user had yet to deduce who she was, but it wouldn't be hard for him to take her down. If he could hit her, Shikamaru observed. Ino was fast, much faster than she had ever been before her exile, and she easily dodged Neji's attacks. The shadow-nin quickly descended from the tree, noting that Neji seemed to be getting angry and impatient as Ino flipped over him, landing a kick to his back. Shikamaru was close, but not close enough, when Neji managed to swivel around and grab Ino's foot, slamming her into the ground.

She grunted as she fell, far from the girl who would've cried out years ago. Neji seized a handful of her hair, dragging her into a kneeling position. The anger was palpable on his face.

Ino winced as she was pulled to her knees. "Let go of me, you white-eyed freak," she ground out, clawing at his hands. This only served to anger him more. Neji's eyes narrowed.

As Neji pulled his hand back, Shikamaru realized he was preparing to use his Gentle Fist. He was still too far to help. Anxiously, he exclaimed, "Ino!"

Neji paused for the briefest of moments, a confused "Ino?" escaping his lips, but it was enough for her to slip from his grasp and ram an elbow into his face. He pulled away in pain, cursing, as Tenten rushed to his side.

Running a safe distance, Ino turned back, eyes full of distrust and hatred, scanning the scene before her. Her gaze landed on Shikamaru, and he could've sworn her eyes twitched in disgust.

"Ino?" came a tender voice.

She jerked her gaze from Shikamaru to the owner of the voice. To the side, Sakura stood, rooted to the ground, eyes wide with hope.

"Ino?" she called again.

Something flashed across Ino's eyes, but it disappeared soon after. "Forehead," she replied scathingly, a devious smirk on her face. Then she turned, and fled into the confusion of battle. Sakura gingerly took a few steps, as if she to run after her, but sighed in defeat and turned to Shikamaru questioningly.

The shadow-nin pursed his lips. "I have to go after her. She's going to get herself killed."

Sakura turned to Neji, quickly healing his broken nose. "I'm coming with you."

Shikamaru nodded.

They dashed off after the blonde, Sakura hoping against hope that nothing befell her friend. Shikamaru gritted his teeth, knowing where she was headed. Navigating the battlefield was not an easy task, and Shikamaru was grateful when they found their target. Not to his surprise, Ino stood facing Hiiruke, a kunai held sharply in her hand. Fury radiated off of her shaking body.

Before they could reach her, Ino rushed forward with her kunai held before her. Hiiruke, grinning, stretched out his arm to a length of four feet, his hand disappearing into a sharp point, and quickly deflected her attack.

"What the hell?" Sakura shouted at Hiiruke's display of his grotesque technique.

Ino and Hiiruke were soon reduced to a flash of bodies as they danced around each other, attacking and parrying. They were moving too fast for Shikamaru to use his shadow possession, and jumping between the two of them would be fatal. Suddenly, Ino gave a cry as Hiiruke pushed her out of the clearing and into the line of trees. She disappeared, Hiiruke following quickly behind.

Wordlessly, Sakura and Shikamaru took after them.

Ino jumped onto a high tree branch, conscious of Hiiruke on her tail. Getting away from the main fray of the battle would undoubtedly give her an edge. One of Hiiruke's disfigured arms shot out to her right, and she barely dodged in time. She quickened her pace, jumping onto lower branches to provide more cover. She heard shouting behind her, but didn't dare to look back. Alighting onto a low branch, she paused for a moment to catch her breath. Jumping to reach another tree limb, she was midair when another body slammed into hers.

They fell to the forest floor in a tangle of limbs. Ino groaned, having landed on the bottom. She shoved her assailant away from her, but their legs were intertwined.

"Ow! Stop it, Ino!" came Sakura's voice.

"Get off me, Forehead!" Ino pushed her harder and pulled her legs out from under the other girl. She scrambled to her feet, but a quick hand on her ankle pulled her down again.

Ino growled, and shook off Sakura's hand. "I'd love to stay and chat, but Hiiruke's coming, if you've forgotten."

"Shikamaru's taking care of him."

"By himself?" Ino's brows furrowed.

Sakura threw her a look. "No, Neji and Kakashi are with him."

"Ugh! That is my fight!"

Ino rose once again, but Sakura swiftly grasped her hand.

"What are you doing?!" Ino seethed.

"Trying to stop you from getting killed!" Sakura yelled back.

"Really?" Ino replied haughtily. "And who would care if I got killed? Surely not you!"

Sakura bit her lip as she rose, her shoulders slumped. "Ino—"

"Please," venom spewing from the blonde as she stood and turned her back, "you could hardly even _look_ at me before you left Konoha. Don't tell me you _missed_ me," she added in a condescending tone.

"I'm sorry, Ino. Please just hear me out," pleaded Sakura.

"I'm busy at the moment, Forehead. Catch you later." Ino jumped onto a tree branch. "If I'm not dead," she added darkly before disappearing.

The Yamanaka fled through the trees to the growing sounds of a fight. Behind her, she could hear Sakura crying out her name.

It wasn't long before she found Hiiruke. Opposite him was Shikamaru, his shadow possession holding Hiiruke down as Kakashi charged him, Chidori at the ready. Behind them stood a brooding Tsunade and Neji. Tenten, not far away, gripped her scrolls tightly in her hands.

Hiiruke fell with a loud thud against the ground. He groaned, but shot out an arm that struck the copy-nin in the left arm. Tsunade rushed to his side to examine the wound.

Ino jumped into the clearing, letting her kunai fly. It struck true, straight into the eye of her enemy, and she heard an appreciative gasp from Tenten.

"Ino!" yelled Shikamaru at her appearance.

The Yamanaka landed on the dirt floor, cast a dark look at the others. "Leave. This is my fight."

"Like hell I'm going to leave you to fight this madman alone," Shikamaru threw back.

Hiiruke suddenly charged, having regained his footing during their exchange. Tenten flew into the air, letting several shuriken loose to strike the white-haired shinobi. Unperturbed, he kept up his charge, swinging a long arm at Neji, who blocked it easily. The Hyuuga raised his hand and expertly closed off several tenketsu in the enemy's left arm before sending a Gentle Fist into his chest. He crashed into a tree and was soon pinned down by the shower of kunai Tenten sent his way.

Sakura burst through the trees, panting heavily. She stared at the scene before her, thankful that the others had kept Ino from doing anything reckless.

"Stop!" cried Ino. "Let me finish him!" She stalked over to Hiiruke pinned against the tree and growled.

The white-haired ninja gave her a hard look. He coughed, blood spewing from his lips. He grinned, and Ino shrank back, repulsed.

"You again, eh?" Hiiruke hissed. "Come to finally finish me off?"

Provoked, Ino slammed a fist into his abdomen, causing him to cough up more blood.

"Yamanaka!" the Hokage ordered. "Don't kill him. We're taking him back to Konoha."

Ino ignored her words. With narrowed eyes, Ino struck him in the face. "That was for Chouji," she said.

Shikamaru stiffened at her words. _Chouji_?

The enemy shinobi laughed, the action making him wheeze not soon after. "The fat one?" he rasped before giving another gruesome smile. "I had a lot of fun with him. Begged me for his life, he did, like a coward. Slit his throat while he was groveling on the floor—"

Ino shut him up with a swift kick to his stomach.

"Yamanaka!" roared the Godaime.

"Ino!" came Sakura's cry. She rushed over to Ino's side, but Shikamaru arrived before her.

"Stop it, Ino!" Shikamaru hollered, pulling Ino back with a hand on her shoulder. He was startled to see tears in her angry eyes.

She shrugged off his hand, retorting, "I will not let Chouji's killer go free!"

"He's not going free," Neji stated, abruptly appearing behind Ino and pulling her away from the enemy shinobi.

"Let me go!" Ino screamed as they dragged her far from her target. "Get off of me!"

Satisfied that she was a safe distance away, Neji and Shikamaru dropped her unceremoniously on the ground. She landed with an growl. Sakura approached, but stayed a few steps away.

"Tie him up," Tsunade commanded. Kakashi procured some rope with his good arm and threw it Shikamaru's way.

In their distraction, Ino rapidly performed hand seals, locking her eyes with Hiiruke's. She grinned as she finished her jutsu. Hiiruke's eyes widened in alarm as his right arm rose of its own volition.

"What the hell?" Kakashi uttered.

Ino stood, triumphant look plastered to her face.

"Stop it, Ino!" Shikamaru yelled again, but he was too late.

Hiiruke's arm stretched out and came back to stab himself in the torso, blood spurting along the forest floor. His eyes, gazing steadily at Ino, slowly began to drain of life as his arm was forced out of his abdomen to rest on the ground. Blood began to flow freely from his gaping wound.

"What just happened?" Sakura asked, perplexed.

"New jutsu, I imagine," Kakashi said, turning to Ino.

Stunned, Shikamaru could only stare at Ino in disbelief. Controlling an enemy without infiltrating their mind? How had she designed such a jutsu?

All eyes turned to the white-haired shinobi when he began coughing. "Think…you've won?" he gasped. To their astonishment, his right arm rose again, though much slower than before.

"Ino," Shikamaru began.

"I'm not doing anything," she replied in shock. Wasn't he dead yet?

With a loud rumble, Hiiruke raised his arm the entire way and swiftly shot it toward Sakura who stood apart from the rest of the shinobi.

"Sakura!" cried Ino as the pink-haired kunoichi gave a noise of distress.

Sakura cried out as the deformed arm made contact with flesh, warm blood splashing against her face. She fell to her knees, tears quickly forming in her eyes as she processed what had just occurred.

"Good…enough," muttered Hiiruke before his strength gave out and he died.

Sakura began to whimper as Ino's form wavered. The blonde, having jumped in front of her friend mere moments before she could be impaled, now stood with Hiiruke's arm jutting from her front. Shikamaru drank in a large breath as she pulled the limb from her abdomen, staggering now that she had no support. The large hole in her body, mirroring the one that Hiiruke sported, was freely spilling blood down her legs.

Ino's face contorted with pain as her legs buckled beneath her. Shikamaru rushed to her side, catching her before she fell to the ground. His eyes wide, he hugged her body close to his with no regard to the blood that was now staining his clothes. Sakura crawled forward on her knees, tears streaming down her face as she frantically called out her friend's name.

Tsunade flew to their side, pushing Sakura away so she could survey the damage. She swore, mumbling, "Stupid girl," underneath her breath as she pushed chakra into Ino's body.

Ino's half-lidded eyes stared into the canopy of the trees where the last of the sunlight could be visible. She coughed. The action pushed more blood out of her grievous wound.

"Shika…maru…" she breathed.

"Stop talking, Ino," the shadow-nin chastised her, voice shaky as he brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face.

"Always there…to catch me…ne, Shika?" She coughed again.

Shikamaru was about to chide her for speaking when a voice broke through the clearing.

"Kasei! Kasei!"

A small figure tore through the trees, quickly taking in the scene. Her eyes fell on Ino lying in Shikamaru's arms, and she hastily made her way to the blonde's side, pushing the others out of her way.

"Kasei? Kasei!" Inohi called out, noticing the bloody injury. "What did you do?" she cried out in anguish, her face scrunching up with tears. "Kasei? Kasei, you can't leave me! What am I supposed to do without you?!"

It was to no avail, though. Ino's half-closed eyes were motionless, dark with the absence of life. Shikamaru gripped her body even as Tsunade stopped her ministrations. Sakura wailed as she clutched her friend's hand.

Kasei burned her face in Ino's chest, her howls of grief ringing clear into the forest.

Shikamaru could only close his eyes as he grasped Ino's lifeless body closer to himself.

* * *

**Author Note****:** Sorry for the long wait on this chapter! Battle scenes are definitely not my strong suit, so my apologies. I feel like this chapter is too rushed, given that the setting is a large-scale fight, but it's the best I could do.

I know I definitely told one of my reviewers that there was only one chapter left, but clearly that's not the case. Sorry again! I underestimated how long the last few scenes would be, so there's one last chapter coming. It should be out in a week; if not, feel free to get on my case.

Thanks for reading!


	5. Return to Earth

Ino was much lighter than he remembered.

Even without the gaping hole in her stomach, the weight difference was stark. She was always dieting back in the day, but this is a different weight loss. She was much more toned, defined muscle structure bulging where there used to be little on her feminine body. Shikamaru wondered how healthy she ate in the wilderness, and when she stopped caring about her figure.

Not that it mattered much, anymore.

He takes another long drag of his cig, trying to shove the image of laying Ino's prone body on the ground, just another lifeless form awaiting disposal. To her right, enemy bodies were stacked to be burned, to her left, Leaf shinobi to be buried. Ino lay between the two groups, in a no-man's land, neither friend nor foe. Shikamaru wasn't sure what the Godaime was going to do with her body, and at this point, he was too weary to care.

At least someone had enough sense to drape a sheet over her bloodied body.

It was probably Sakura. No one else cared enough to do such a thing, and Inohi had hardly left Ino's side once Shikamaru had put her down.

He reached down for another dead carcass, and heaved it over his shoulder to take to the enemy pile. He skirted Ino's body, not bothering to look down to see Inohi sob over his dead teammate, and tossed the dead ninja onto a steadily growing pile of corpses.

Once they had emerged from the forest with Hiiruke's dead body, the remaining rogue shinobi had scattered. The injured that could not get away were left stranded, and taken into custody. Shikamaru doubted they would get anything useful from them. Turning, he surveyed the aftermath of the battle. There were still quite a number of bodies to be categorized, and he sighed. His eyes fell on the slow-moving group of Leaf shinobi and he was glad that his father and Chouza were out on a mission. He didn't think they could stomach seeing an Ino-Shika-Chou generation more broken than theirs.

He didn't appreciate the curious glances thrown his and Inohi's way. No one bothered the young girl, still quietly crying over Ino's corpse, and he doubted anything would move the girl from her current position. The whispers behind his back were what irritated him the most. Speculation ran rampant among the Leaf shinobi about him and Ino, and he wished they would shut up and leave him be.

Only Lee had the decency to approach him, placing a battle-scarred hand on his shoulder and offering a sad smile. Shikamaru gave him a gracious nod before shrugging off his hand.

It was evening by the time all the casualties were sorted through. The flames of the funeral pyre hungrily licked the darkening sky, sending flames to cover the budding moon. Shikamaru, entranced by the flickering shadows playing off the underbrush, nearly missed the loud commotion behind him.

He turned, his disinterested gaze taking in the large number of ninja grouped in a circle. They were shouting, and someone hurled a kunai through the air. Suddenly, all of the shinobi were attacking, jutsu spewing from hastily formed hand seals, senbon whistling towards a lone target trapped by their ranks.

Several ninja fell as their prey attacked, and a deafening roar rose from the middle of the gathered shinobi.

Shikamaru stiffened at the sound, then bolted toward to the crowd, recognition of the voice compelling him forward.

"Stop!" he yelled to his comrades still on the offensive. "Stop attacking!"

His calls went unheeded in the clamor. He growled in irritation, then forced his hands together.

"Kagemane no Jutsu!"

The entirety of the shinobi paused, some airborne bodies falling to the earth in a fit of dust. Startled, they all twisted to look at Shikamaru. He paid them no heed. The shadow-nin took several steps back, those caught in his grasp following suit, and an opening appeared to reveal a spotted snow leopard kneeling poised for an attack, a low growling rumbling through her throat.

"Shinsetsu," he breathed.

A low murmur began to spread through the shinobi.

The proud leopard slowly eased off her hunches. She gave Shikamaru a lasting look, flicked her tail, and began to stalk toward him.

"So this is the land of the little one's before," Shinsetsu spoke, turning her head about now that the threats against her were incapacitated.

Shikamaru blinked slowly. "Shinsetsu," he began, "what are you doing here?"

The large cat ignored him, choosing instead to continue her inspection of Konoha.

"Shinsetsu!" he called again.

She threw him an agitated look, clearly unhappy about being interrupted.

"Where is the little one?" she demanded.

Shikamaru bristled.

"Where is she?" Shinsetsu inquired once more.

Turning his head away, the Nara spoke, "It doesn't matter. You're too late."

Walking forward slowly, the snow leopard kept her gaze on the shinobi before her. "Where is she?"

Shikamaru could feel his anger rising. He clenched his shaking fists, his eyes downcast. "I said, it doesn't matter."

"That is not what I asked."

"You're too late."

"I demand to know where she is!"

"She's _dead_!" Shikamaru roared. A hush fell over everyone in the vicinity. In his fury, he released his shadow possession, and the group of shinobi fell down in an uncoordinated heap. It was deathly quiet after the shadow-nin's outburst.

"She's dead," he spat, struggling to suppress the desire to obliterate the surrounding forest.

Shinsetsu stopped in her movements, watching Shikamaru mutely.

"Where were you," he ground out, "when she needed you the most?"

The cat, muscled suddenly tensed, began a low growl.

Shikamaru continued, "Where were you when she faced a horde of shinobi? When she took on a monster? Where were you?! Have you forgotten your—"

Shinsetsu cut him off with a ferocious roar as she lunged toward him. "I have not forgotten my debt, Shikamaru!" He scrambled backwards and stumbled, landing on his back, as Shinsetsu rose to meet him. "And you!" she howled. "Were you not there as she fought? Were you not holding her as she bled to death?"

Shikamaru blinked at her accusations. He said nothing, wondering how she knew, and swallowing his shame because it was true.

"I could not have helped her any more than you did," Shinsetsu spoke, lithely jumping over his body to search for her ward. "The little one," she said gently, "is not dead. She merely sleeps."

Sleeps? The Nara narrowed his eyes at so ridiculous an assertion. He stood, eyeing Shinsetsu wearily.

"Take me to her," the spotted cat spoke at length.

Sighing, Shikamaru could only shake his head. Ino was dead, and this stupid beast was not helping the situation by insinuating that she would somehow miraculously wake up. He closed his eyes, suddenly drained and wishing for a small hill to lie down upon and stargaze.

"I'll take you," said a voice abruptly.

Sakura stepped forward, hands clasped on her chest. There was a glimmer of dangerous hope in her eyes. Beside her, the Hokage eyed her cautiously.

"She's over here," said the pinkette, making her way past Shikamaru and toward Ino's lone body.

Shikamaru sent his gaze toward the Godaime, raising a brow in question. Tsunade followed after the giant cat, and he ran to catch up to her.

"What does she think she's doing?" the shadow-nin asked.

"When did Ino meet this snow leopard?" The Hokage asked abruptly.

Blinking, Shikamaru scrunched his brows. "What? I don't know, some time ago. She saved Shinsetsu from poachers, and since then she's followed Ino, vowing to protect her until her debt was paid. Why?"

"I take it you haven't heard of the snow leopards of the Land of Snow."

"No."

"They're rumored to have extraordinary healing prowers. It's merely speculation, since such creatures rarely leave the treacherous mountains of the Land of Snow. No doubt that was why she was captured in the first place."

Shikamaru processed this new information. Healing powers? Could that mean…

"You don't think…?" he began, afraid to even fully speak his thought.

"It seems we'll find out soon enough," Tsunade answered.

They followed Sakura to Ino's body. Inohi looked up at the approaching footsteps, her tear-streaked face lifting, eyes widening in surprise at the sight of the snow leopard.

"Shinsetsu," she breathed, her eyes focused steadily on the large feline.

The leopard nodded in her direction. Bending her head, Shinsetsu grasped the sheet lightly in her teeth and pulled it back to reveal Ino's visage. Light blonde bangs had fallen to the side of her face, revealing the smooth texture of her pale face. Shikamaru marveled at the peaceful look that had settled onto her expression, noting it was the most calm he had ever seen Ino in the past few months.

"Oh, little one," Shinsetsu spoke, breathing onto Ino's face. "Oh, my dear little one. You are not born of fire and molded by flames. You were birthed of the earth, and to the earth you shall return. Rise, and take the life I breathe into you." Shinsetsu blew onto her face, blowing away strands of blonde hair.

Something flickered on Ino's face, but Shikamaru wasn't sure if he imagined it or not.

Shinsetsu blew out another breathe, and the cat lifted her head high as she continued to fan air across Ino's face. Ino's chest lifted off the ground, seemingly pulled up by the very air from the snow leopard's lungs, and a minuscule rising of Ino's chest to imply an intake of breath had Shikamaru suddenly, brazenly hoping against his better instincts that something miraculous could happen. He realized he wasn't the only one wishing for such a thing. To his right, Sakura tightly clutched her clasped hands to her chest, and Inohi seemed to be holding her breathe as she watched the spotted leopard.

Shinsetsu gave out the last of her air and laid Ino back to the ground.

"A life for a life," voiced the snow leopard. "My debt is repaid." The image of the cat began to fade. Behind her, Inohi gasped as Shinsetsu further disappeared from view, her speckled coat evaporating into the air. "Wake, child," said the disembodied voice of Shinsetsu.

As if on cue, Ino took a shuddering breath, eyes flying open as she drank in precious air. Inohi gave a great cry of excitement as a clamor rose from the shinobi that had gathered around them. She flung herself at the recovering blonde. Such an action forced the newly acquired breath out of Ino and she gasped in pain. Inohi abruptly let go, apologizing profusely, just as Sakura, tears falling steadily from her face, bent down and hugged Ino.

Shikamaru fell to his knees, stunned beyond belief.

"You'll squeeze her to death if you continue, Sakura," Tsunade intoned.

"Sorry!" Sakura squealed, rising off the blonde.

Ino sat up, bewildered. She turned her head about to gather her senses, stunned to see so many people staring at her lying on the ground.

"What…what…" Ino started to speak. Her eyes bulged as she recalled her last memories, a hand lifting quickly to her abdomen, expecting a giant hole where one was not. Her fingers traced over the ripped cloth and smooth skin, and she stuttered, "H-how…"

She took a sharp breath, and spoke one word: "Shinsetsu."

Inohi nodded enthusiastically, practically bouncing from her kneeling position. Ino twisted her head around to spot the snow leopard, even knowing she wouldn't be there, and sighed in resigned defeat. "Thank you," she whispered, head bowed, a small smile gracing her features.

Looking up, she caught a glimpse of Shikamaru on his knees, a dumbfounded look on his face. Something spurred within her, and she swiftly scrambled toward him, throwing herself into his embrace and pushing him onto his back. He fell with a grunt, still in a shocked stupor.

His shirt was unexpectedly wet, and he realized Ino was crying. He circled his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, disregarding the stares of those around him.

"Ino," he whispered desperately, and kissed her hair.

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Kasei, I'll be fine," voiced Inohi, a thread of impatience filling her tone. Behind her, the busting village of Hojimou went about its daily routine, unaware of the two shinobi at its front gates. "Besides, you've sent me on worse missions before, remember?"

"Yeah, but this is different," Kasei answered, biting her lip.

Inohi cocked a brow. "Why are you so worried all of a sudden?" In the distance, a child's shriek of happiness could be heard.

Shaking her head, Kasei spoke, "With all that's happened, I'm just anxious, that's all."

"Everything's going to be fine. We always made it through the tough times, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, we did." Kasei smiled at the distant memories.

"You'll come visit?" The younger girl's green eyes were full of wanting, and Kasei found she couldn't deny her if she wanted.

"Of course. And you'll come see me?"

The girl nodded vigorously, a smile on her face. "Don't be so concerned about me. You've taught me well, and Chikao's promised to look after me. And I'm not mad. I'm not."

The small grin on Kasei's face vanished, a grim look replacing it. "You've every right to be. I won't blame you if you are."

"I'm not," Inohi replied, defiantly. "I get it now. Besides, everything worked out in the end?"

"Yeah, I suppose it did." In the distance, Chikao could be heard calling his son's name. "Take care, Kiriko."

"You too, Ino."

Kiriko pinned her bangs out of her face, gave Ino a lasting look, then turned to enter the village. Taking a step back, Ino gave the village one last glance, and set her mark onto the nearby pathway. She meandered a ways down the path, veering off into the forest after a while. She came upon a blossoming pear tree, plucked a stalk of rosemary, and settled against a large oak tree. Leaning her head back, she stared into the leafy canopy and brought the rosemary to her nose.

"I guess things did work out in the end, huh, Chouji?" she spoke into the air.

"It did," Chouji answered, sitting down beside her and snuggling against the tree.

Ino started, jerking away at the sight of her long-dead friend, and gasped.

Chouji merely smiled her way, raising a hand in greeting.

"Ch-chouji," she stammered.

"Ino," he replied, shifting his gaze around the small clearing. "This is a very nice place you found for me. Thank you."

"I…I'm glad you like it," Ino answered after finding her voice. Then, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault, Ino." Chouji furrowed his brows. "I've never blamed you."

"But I should've been there to help you! If only I was strong enough to save you—"

"Stop it, Ino. It's not your fault, and worrying about it after all this time won't do you any good." Raising a hand to her back, Chouji rubbed circles to soothe her. "It's done and over, Ino. So what are you doing here?"

"What? I'm visiting you, of course. What else?"

"No, why are you here, instead of Konoha?"

She blinked. How did he know?

"Shikamaru told me," he explained, a gentle smile adorning his face. "It's been two weeks. Why haven't you gone back?"

Ino pulled her legs closer to herself and wrapped her arms around them. She laid her chin on her knees and stared off into the distance, as if talking to her dead friend was a normal occurrence. "I…don't really want to go back."

"Why?"

"It's…I've been gone so long. What if Konoha's not what I remember? What if no one wants me back?"

"You know there's at least one person who wants to see you."

Ino buried her face in her arms. "Ugh, don't remind me of him."

"You two seemed to have had quite a night here a few weeks ago," he insinuated cheekily.

Instantly, her mind was flooded with memories of the night Shikamaru had stripped her bare, his warm hands caressing her sides as if trying to make up for lost time. Even if he was a ghost, she was glad Chouji couldn't see her flustered blush as she remembered Shikamaru's hot breath on her neck, trailing kisses down between her breasts.

"It was nothing," she protested.

"Shikamaru would disagree, I'm sure."

"Shut up, Chouji."

"Why don't you ask him, then?"

"What?" she said, head rising. To her utter surprise, who should be standing at the edge of the clearing but the dark-haired shinobi himself.

She quickly ducked her head at the sight of him, hands tucked into his pockets, a cigarette lazily hanging from his lips. It seemed he always knew where to find her.

"Ino," he began.

She didn't look up.

He kneeled before her, lifting her face gently with a finger.

"Ino."

"I'm not going back," she said suddenly, staring into his dark eyes. They narrowed at her statement.

"Why?"

"How can I?"

"You've been pardoned by the Hokage."

"It doesn't change what I did."

"It doesn't matter."

"Things have changed. I've changed. I'm hardly Yamanaka Ino anymore."

"Yes, you are. You're not Kasei, you've never been, and it's time to go back."

Shikamaru dug into his pocket for a moment, scrounging around for an item that would hopefully change her mind. The object found, he brought his hand close to her face and opened his palm. Her eyes widened.

"You…you kept them," she said, shocked, reaching for her silver studs in his palm.

"I did," he replied simply.

"Why?"

"They're yours, and we're still Ino-Shika-Chou, no matter what happens."

Her eyes began to water as she inserted the studs into her ear. Shikamaru stood, and reached a hand down to her. She hesitated, lifting her hand but not moving it the entire way to meet his. Without warning, he swiftly reached down to take her hand in his and yanked her to her feet, surprising her by his actions.

"It's time to go home," he said.

Three days later, Ino stood facing Konoha's gates, Shikamaru's hand on her back. She paused, staring at the group of people standing just beyond the looming walls. They were still too far away to make out any faces.

"I sent word," Shikamaru explained.

Ino couldn't find her voice. She was still so unsure, uncertain of what to expect upon her assimilation back into Konoha. While she stood apprehensive, a lone figure broke from the group, and came towards them.

The figure began to run, sprinting forward as if her life depending on it, and Ino could make out pink hair flapping with every stride. She hardly had time to prepare for an impact before Sakura barreled into her, wrapping her arms around the blonde and burying her face in her neck.

Her actions caused the two girls to swivel on their feet so that Ino's back faced Konoha. Sakura lifted her face, an enormous grin plastered onto her face despite the tears trickling down her cheeks. She mumbled her joy at seeing Ino come home, and raced back to the gates, expecting Ino to follow.

Ino didn't though, still rooted with fear some ways from the entrance to her former home. She turned around slowly, making eye contact with Sakura who stared back with a questioning look. Hesitant, Ino shifted her gaze to Shikamaru, who gave a minuscule smile, and motioned forward with his head.

He took her hand, and it was only at his constant tugging did Ino finally walk through the gates of Konoha.

* * *

**Author Note:** Yay, that's the last chapter! Thank you all for reading, and please, if you haven't reviewed before, leave me a little note about what you thought of the story overall. How'd I do?

On the subject of Chouji, I've mentioned he's a ghost, but you shouldn't take it as a literal ghost come back from the dead. He's more of a physical embodiment of Shikamaru and Ino's subconscious, hence why he only knows things that the person imaging him knows, and why they're the only ones in each scene to acknowledge his presence. It also explains why Chouji's never had a blatant exit; Shikamaru or Ino always get distracted, and Chouji merely disappears as their subconscious comes to recognize a different stimulus.

Questions? Please let me know!

Also, if you want more ShikaIno, I have a oneshot, _Blithely They Stay_, that should tide you over for a while. I'm actually planning on expanded it as per request, so please follow that story for the update. I'm also planning another series featuring more pairings (which you can find in my bio), so stay tuned for that as well.

Thanks again!


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